Pillowed web of blown microfibers
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorLarry D. Humlicek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A novel blown microfiber web having a network of compacted high-density regions and pillowed low-density regions exhibits a unique combination of low density and good tensile strength and integrity. Such a web may be collected on a perforated screen so that microfibers deposited on the land area of the screen form the compacted high-density regions, and microfibers deposited over the openings of the screen form the pillowed low-density regions.
Claims15
A low-density web comprising a coherent mass of blown microfibers arranged into compacted high-density regions and pillowed low-density regions, the pillowed regions spanning the space between adjacent compacted regions, with the microfibers arching outwardly from their level in a compacted region into a pillowed region, whereby in a free-standing condition of the mass the pillowed regions are displaced to one side of a plane defined by the base of the compacted regions are anchored at their edges by the compacted regions and have an expanded and arched configuration in which the span length from compacted region to compacted region of the most highly arched microfibers is greater than that of less highly arched microfibers.
A low-density web comprising a coherent mass of blown microfibers arranged into a network of connected essentially linear compacted high-density regions and pillowed low-density regions, the pillowed regions spanning the space between adjacent compacted regions, with the microfibers arching outwardly from their level in a compacted region into a pillowed region, whereby in a free-standing condition of the mass the pillowed regions are displaced to one side of a plane defined by the base of the compacted regions and have an expanded and arched configuration in which the span length from compacted region to compacted region of the most highly arched microfibers is greater than that of less highly arched microfibers.
A low-density web at least 5 millimeters thick comprising a coherent mass of blown microfibers arranged into a network of connected essentially linear compacted high-density regions and pillowed low-density regions, the pillowed regions spanning the space between adjacent compacted regions, with the microfibers arching outwardly from their level in a compacted region into a pillowed region, whereby in a freestanding condition of the mass the pillowed regions are displaced to one side of a plane defined by the base of the compacted regions are anchored at their edges by the compacted regions and have an expanded and arched configuration in which the span length from compacted region to compacted region of the most highly arched microfibers is greater than that of less highly arched microfibers, the ratio of the densities of the compacted and pillowed regions being at least 20 to 1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.